Mercy. Sabots for my CVA Optima V2 pistol sure jack the per shot price. Cast options?

[Tallbald]

I like to shoot my CVA Optima V2 pistol whenever I can but to be honest, the 10 to 15 cents per sabot price brings the price per shot up to three or four times a centerfire round I roll myself. Shotgun primers are 3 1/2 cents here. The commercial cast slugs I was using were 9 cents. The Triple Seven added some of course but the highest price item was the sabot, even if I were to buy "in bulk".
Now that I've begun casting for my .357/.38 Special, I feel the call to see if there's a Minie ball or some other slug I can cast that will give me accuracy in the .50 caliber gun with it's 1 in 28 inch twist ( if I remember right). I can cast pure or alloyed lead. Round ball I read does best in a really slow twist like 1 in 60 inch. I don't load hot as a rule and if I were ever to hunt with the gun I'd switch back to sabots. I've asked this on other forums and simply get advice to find cheaper sabots or suggestions that I need a different gun. Surely I'm not the only fella out there with the same question for this particular gun.
Don't laugh at me....what about a cloth patched semi wad cutter style slug?
Thanks folks so much. Don

[Janoosh]

In the stickies- Paper Patching for the
M L by Idahoron. A great read. Long story short, I believe he uses the Lee 50 cal. pistol boolit mold (500 S+W) with a paper patch. Check it out.!

[Maven]

Tallbald, My inline rifle has a 1:28 twist and will handle a patched RB fairly well, but thus far it does so only with 50 - 60gr. FFg. It also does exceptionally well with MMP HP sabots and Ly. 429421 or RCBS 44-250K, which is almost its clone. Less expensive yet, is a well fitted T/C Maxi-Ball or Lee REAL.* Btw, finding a patched SWC large enough to fit your bore isn't going to be easy, but it is a great idea!

*The Lee REAL molds I owned cat too small to fit the bore of my .50cal. Knight Bighorn. Ditto their .50cal. Minie. Re the Maxi-Balls, I've found the T/C molds cast better fitting projectiles than the Lyman versions and are less expensive to boot.

[Nobade]

The Lee 440, paper patched, would certainly shoot well in that pistol. But I might be worried about the strength of it and its (and the operator's) ability to handle the recoil. Possibly a lighter boolit, something designed for the 50 Action Express, would be appropriate?

-Nobade

[Theditchman]

I use a 250 gr lee REAL in mine with 60 to 90gr Pyrodex ffg Select